Thursday, March 31, 2016

For years yours truly watched this saint, in his Boston Red Socks ball cap, walking to and from papal events at the Vatican.

I first met him in front of the Angelicum. He was very informal and unassuming. He often walked alone. Always had a warm smile.

He walked everywhere and took the bus. I can still see him with his hands in his pockets, praying as he walked. He was a loyal son of the Church.

Fr. Flanagan had been a Notre Dame football star and a WWII Navy "Frog Man." He was ordained priest by Cardinal Cushing in 1952. In 1958 he set out to start his own religious order. I first met SOLT religious members when I did mission work in Siberia in 2001. They had a presence in Irkutsk, near the Mongolian border.

The Church rejoices in her saints. In your charity pray for the repose of the soul of this saintly American priest.

Thank you, Fr. Flanagan. You taught us so much. May your memory be eternal!

Although its origin is shrouded in the mist of antiquity, the
sacramental Agnus Dei is first mentioned in historical Church accounts
as early as the sixth century, and referred to frequently by the early
to middle ninth century. Thus, for over ten centuries the Agnus Dei has
been a popular and treasured sacramental to Catholics, especially to
those living in Europe where it was most easily obtained. Yet, regrettably, few Catholics living today have ever even heard of the Agnus Dei.

The name "Agnus Dei" was given to special discs of wax impressed with
the figure of a lamb, the "Lamb of God" which were blessed by the
reigning Pope in a ceremony so solemn that the Pope was said to
consecrate the sacramentals. Popes traditionally consecrated Agnus Deis
only during the first year of their pontificate and again every seven
years.

In earlier times, on Holy Saturday, the Pope, with the
assistance of the Archdeacon of Rome, prepared the wax from the previous
year's paschal candles, adding both chrism and balsam to the wax. The
Agnus Deis were subsequently consecrated on the Wednesday of Easter week
and distributed on Saturday of the same week. In more recent times, the
wax was prepared by monks and then consecrated by the Pope and
distributed. When visiting Cardinals would visit the Holy Father, an
Agnus Dei wax disc (or several of the discs) would be placed into his
miter. The Cardinals then distributed the Agnus Deis as they saw fit.

In order to provide a comprehensive look into the meaning and
importance of the Agnus Dei, we cite the Catholic Encyclopedia (1913
Edition) as it describes the "Symbolism and Use" of the Agnus Dei.

As in the paschal candle, the wax typifies the virgin flesh of Christ,
the cross associated with the lamb suggests the idea of a victim offered
in sacrifice, and as the blood of the paschal lamb of old protected
each household from the destroying angel, so the purpose of these
consecrated medallions is to protect those who wear or possess them from
all malign influences. In the prayers of blessing, special mention is
made of the perils from storm and pestilence, from fire and flood, and
also of the dangers to which women are exposed in childbirth. Miraculous
effects have been believed to follow the use of these objects of piety.
Fires are said to have been extinguished, and floods stayed (Vol. 1, p.
220).

In a wonderful article by Charles Hugo Doyle, entitled
"The Forgotten Sacramental," the author provides a summary of the
special virtues of the Agnus Dei, as cited by Popes Urban V, Paul II,
Julius III, Sixtus V and Benedict XIV, which include the following
benefits:

They foster piety, banish tepidity, preserve from vice and dispose to virtue.

They cancel venial sins and purify from the stain left by grievous sin after it has been remitted in the Sacrament of Penance.

They banish evil spirits, deliver from temptation and preserve from eternal ruin.

They are a protection from a sudden and unprovided death.

They dispel fears occasioned by evil spirits.

They are a protection in combat, and have power to ensure victory.

They deliver from poison and from the snares of the wicked.

They are excellent preventatives against sickness and are also an efficacious remedy -- especially in cases of epilepsy.

They hinder the ravages of pestilence, of epidemics and infectious diseases.

They save from shipwreck and the danger of lightning and floods. An
anecdote is recalled here of Pope St. Pius V, who had recourse to this
expedient when the Tiber was in flood and seemed likely to submerge the
city. We are told that when an Agnus Dei had been thrown into the river,
the angry waters at once subsided.

Needless to say, due to the
limited quantity of the Agnus Deis which were available, those which
could be obtained were cherished by the faithful and gratefully passed
down from generation to generation.

As a boy I watched Mother Angelica Live weekly when mom got cable TV in the late 1980s. That and the weekly Papal General Audience every Wednesday.

Mother's influence was profound on my own formation.

In 1992 mom even drove us to see her at her convent in Alabama -- an unforgettable experience.

My proudest moment was seeing Mother blast the shameful leftist establishment in the Church during World Youth Day 1993. That day she spoke for all of us sick and tired of the madness within the Church.

Dearest Mother, in 1944 you entered the convent. You came from divorce and brokenness. Thank you for having followed the Lord and for having remained faithful until the end.

"It was EWTN that truly opened my eyes to the wealth and depth that
Catholicism had to offer. Without it I likely would be an indifferent
and ignorant Catholic today. I have long moved on from watching EWTN
but I am forever grateful for the way it touched my life. Thank you
Mother Angelica. May you rest in peace. I would like to think that by
your dying on Easter Sunday we have been given an idea about your
eternal reward."

"Latin is a precise, essential language. It will be abandoned, not
because it is unsuitable for the new requirements of progress, but
because the new men will not be suitable for it. When the age of
demagogues and charlatans begins, a language like Latin will no longer
be useful, and any oaf will be able to give a speech in public and talk
in such a way that he will not be kicked off the stage. The secret to
this will consist in the fact that, by making use of words that are
general, elusive, and sound good, he will be able to speak for an hour
without saying anything. With Latin, this is impossible."

An excellent and very well laid out museum. Well worth your visit. Open in the morning and tours are offered in Spanish. Ideally, all pilgrims to the city should stop here and know of this modern saint, Blessed Miguel Pro, S.J.

Beautiful to pray here. At night I lit up a Pueblan cigar and walked the central square, chatting with Evangelical Protestant missionaries who are destroying Christian unity in this beautiful Catholic country.

Sunday, March 20, 2016

Located just a half hour walk from the Metropolitan Cathedral at a very busy intersection. A great location and a lovely church.

Because the elevation is 7,000 feet above sea level, it is sometimes a struggle to catch your breath as your pray out loud the prayers at the foot of the altar, especially during the Confiteor - breathing at high altitudes is a bit of an adjustment!

One of the things that I have always appreciated most about Mexico City is that it is a European capital. In other words, it is distinctly European in its design.

As you spend time in Mexico City you will come to appreciate President Porfirio Díaz, seven terms President of Mexico for thirty-five years from 1876 - 1911. He did so much to beautify the city as a capital worthy of the name.

Then came the anti-Catholic Mexican Revolution and he was ousted and died in exile in Paris.

Today Mexico City is mostly a jumble of very ugly populist modernist architecture. I would counsel a return to the classic footprint.